Amaya established himself as a leading voice in postwar art criticism with publications such as Pop as Art (1965), Art Nouveau (1966), and Tiffany Glass (1967), each contributing to a broader reassessment of modern and decorative arts.[5]
In June 1968, he was present at Pop artist Andy Warhol's studio, the Factory, when Warhol was critically wounded in a shooting by Valerie Solanas; Amaya himself sustained a minor injury.[6][7] Amaya, then a journalist, was visiting New York from his base in London and was waiting to interview Warhol.[8] He later wrote, "It was like a Magritte painting for me, with everything so real and yet so totally unreal at the same time."[2]
He went on to a prominent museum career, serving as chief curator of the Art Gallery of Ontario (1969–1972), where he organized major exhibitions, including the first North American survey of late 19th-century Symbolist art and a retrospective of painter Édouard Vuillard. As director of the New York Cultural Center (1972–1976), he helped "strengthen the Cultural Center's position as one of the liveliest of New York's museums" at the time.[9][4] He transformed the institution into a multidisciplinary venue, presenting exhibitions such as Realism Now (1972), Blacks: U.S.A. (1973), Women Choose Women (1973),[10]Bouguereau (organized with Robert Isaacson, 1975), a retrospective of visual artist Man Ray (1975), and a survey of theater director Max Reinhardt.[11][1] He later served as director of the Chrysler Museumof Art in Norfolk, Virginia (1976–1979).[12]
Amaya was noted for his charisma, curatorial ambition, and ability to engage broad audiences with contemporary art.[11] He was a close friend of chemist and art collector Stuart Pivar, who credited Amaya with teaching him everything about art.[7]
